


Diving In

by AetherSprite (AranthianPrincess)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 04:09:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3367256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AranthianPrincess/pseuds/AetherSprite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry chases Draco and not everything is as it seems. A remix of dracogotgame's fic <i>Taking the Plunge</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Harry Receives a Letter

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Taking the Plunge](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/98579) by dracogotgame. 



> **Author's Notes** : I was a little overwhelmed when I first got my assignment and saw this seemingly infinite list of fics to choose from and my first thought was “Oh, dear God, I've made a horrible mistake. How am I ever going to decide which one to choose?” So, naturally, I procrastinated a bit and when I returned a couple weeks later to pick out the story the list was just as daunting, but I was stern with myself and started browsing. That's when I saw the fic that would ultimately become the subject for my remix. In fact, it was so inspiring that I remixed it twice. Without further ado, please enjoy my first foray into remixing (and also the little twist at the very end).

Harry watched the unfamiliar owl circle his sitting room twice before landing warily on the desk he currently occupied. She was a beautiful owl and clearly well aware of that fact. As she landed, ruffling brown and white feathers irritably, the owl raised her head and stuck her beak in the air for all the world like a high society girl sticking her nose up disdainfully at having to deign to associate with someone so far beneath her.

Harry laughed at the curious bird and retrieved the rolled parchment from the leg she stuck out to him with an annoyed hoot. Feeling mischievous, Harry waited until the owl accepted a treat from him, after examining it carefully for several minutes, and patted her a little obnoxiously on the head. She shrieked at him and took off in a torrent of feathers, flying straight for the open window and disappearing with an angry hoot into the late morning sky.

With a shake of his head, Harry pulled the string holding the parchment together off and unrolled it. The hand was unfamiliar, but large and elegant. He could tell by the neatness of the handwriting that a woman must have written the letter. The style suggested someone of money and power, probably from one of those old pure-blood families.

Curious to know who would be writing to him and why, Harry returned his gaze to the beginning of the letter and began to read.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I know about your relationship with Draco Malfoy and I also know the difficulties a relationship such as yours will face. I know the strain your relationship is under due to some not-so-receptive members of both your social circles. I also know of a threat to your relationship with Draco Malfoy taking place this afternoon._

_Narcissa Malfoy has taken exception to her son's “dalliance” with you, Mr. Potter, and has arranged a party on board the Malfoy yacht where young Draco will be held captive amongst those young pure-blood witches whom Mrs. Malfoy deems worthy of her son and their parents._

_If you wish to maintain your blissful relationship with the Malfoy heir, I have arranged for transportation to take you to the Malfoy yacht and your beloved. However, my aid does not come easily. Your transport will be serviceable, but it's ability to actually perform its intended function will depend solely on your ingenuity and magical prowess. I may wish you and Mr. Malfoy a lifetime of happiness together, but you will have to work for it. I'm a romantic, not a sentimental fool._

_Should you decide to take a chance and go for the one you love, Apparate to the coordinates below and take the boat I will leave for you. From there, the yacht won't be hard to find._

_Sincerely,_  
 _A Friend_

Harry frowned, glancing at the string of numbers written in the same flowing hand at the bottom of the parchment. They didn't look familiar, so it was probably somewhere he'd never been before. It could be a trap, but he couldn't really see any other choice but to go when Draco was involved.

Sighing, Harry stood, made sure he had his wand, and Apparated to the listed coordinates. Trap or not, he'd find out when he got there.

~*~*~*~*~*~

True to the letter writer's word, there was a boat tied to a rather rickety dock. The thing looked like it was barely staying afloat, riding much lower in the water than Harry thought was advisable. Upon closer inspection, Harry saw the boat wasn't floating at all, but sitting on the sandy ocean floor and filled nearly full with water.

Harry groaned and drew his wand. The letter writer had talked about his magical ingenuity or something, but Harry hadn't thought it would be this annoying. A quick duel with a substandard guard, sure, but a practically useless boat as his only means of transport? Why hadn't he thought to bring a broom with him?

~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later and Harry hadn't made any progress. No matter how much water he siphoned out of the boat, more kept getting in. Repairing the boat with water still in it, while the thought had occurred to him, wouldn't work because it would still be half sunk. Harry had tried dragging the boat onto the beach so the water could drain out onto the sand, but he couldn't move it.

A couple more tries at dragging the boat onto dry land and a frustrated kick to the rotting wood later, Harry suddenly remembered he was a wizard. He smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead and muttered irritatedly to himself.

“Draco would either be severely disappointed in me or laughing uproariously at me if he was here,” he grumbled.

Harry pushed the thought away and raised his wand, casting a quick Levitation Charm at the boat and directing it to the beach in a cascade of water. Once the sad remains of the boat were again ocean-free, he set it down on the sand and cast a Reparo at it. The results were less than encouraging.

The largest holes closed... mostly, but there were still far too many for the boat to ever be considered sea-worthy. Harry's brow furrowed as he concentrated on the problem at hand. There wasn't enough of the original wood left to completely repair the boat and he wasn't good at transfiguring things out of dust motes or grains of sand like Hermione.

Thinking for a moment, Harry tried casting an Impervious at the boat. The boat didn't look any different, but he decided to give his impromptu repair a go anyway and levitated it back into the water. Almost as soon as it landed the boat began taking on water. Hurriedly, Harry levitated it back onto the sand, noticing that the wood was at least dry, even if the charm hadn't extended to cover the holes as well.

Harry growled at the boat and glared at it like he used to glare at his Potions textbook when it refused to make sense. He didn't know how long he stood there until another idea came to mind. It sounded even more far-fetched than the Impervious Charm, even to him, but he had nothing to lose so he cast the charm.

“Protego!” Harry shouted, aiming at the boat.

To his surprise, a shimmering shield formed around the boat, molding itself close to the hull. Harry considered the rig dubiously, but shrugged and levitated the boat back into the water. When it didn't immediately take on water, he carefully climbed in and waited for something to go wrong. Nothing did, so Harry tilted the attached motor, which he was surprised to find but didn't allow himself to think about, and yanked on the cord.

It took him several tries to get the motor started, then he was off, pulling away from the deteriorating dock and out to sea. The thought only occurred to him several miles off shore that sailing out to sea in a half rotten, magically cobbled together boat toward an unknown destination was probably the stupidest thing he had ever done. After all this effort, Draco had better be at the goal.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As promised, the Malfoy yacht wasn't hard to find. Harry had the vague idea that the majority of boats were white, but the Malfoy yacht was a special, Malfoy-ish white. It reminded him a little of Draco's hair, bright and shining. The sprinkling of other boats in the area looked dull in comparison.

Harry didn't hesitate, making a beeline for the Malfoy yacht. At this distance he could make out two people near the railing, both with the white-blond hair typical of the Malfoys. They could only be Draco and his mother, but as Harry watched Narcissa walked back toward the center, leaving Draco alone to gaze out at sea.

Frustratingly, Draco was looking in the completely wrong direction as Harry drew closer. He seemed lost in thought and not even the sound of the motor drew Draco's attention. In fact, he didn't seem to notice Harry's presence until he pulled up to the side of the yacht right below him, splashing the hull with ocean water and finally drawing Draco's attention.

Draco gaped at him, eyes wide and mouth open wide enough to catch flies. Harry grinned at the image, looking up at the blond with what he knew was a simultaneously teasing, yet love-struck smile.

“For a kiss, I'll bust you out,” he said, earning a brilliant, happy laugh from Draco that caused Harry's heart to flutter and skip a beat.

“What took you so long?” Draco asked, but the teasing glint in his eyes softened the demanding question to a gentle jibe. “More importantly, how are you keeping that thing afloat?”

“Magic. Now are you going to ask questions or jump?” Harry teased right back.

Draco didn't even hesitate, vaulting over the railing and falling feet-first into the water between the two boats, splashing Harry in the process. Harry just laughed and reached down to help haul Draco into the boat.

“Hey,” he said, pulling Draco close as the blond dried to wipe the saltwater off of his clothes and hair.

“Hey, yourself,” Draco grumbled back. “I'm wet now. I hope you appreciate the things I do for you.”

“Of course I do,” Harry replied, giving Draco a quick kiss before letting him go so he could get them out of there and back to shore. “I think I have some dry clothes back at my place if you're interested.”

Draco was silent for so long Harry glanced back over his shoulder to check that he was still there. He was, complete with seductive smirk firmly in place. “Oh, I don't think we'll need the clothes.”


	2. A Letter With a Twist

Narcissa watched as her son downed yet another glass of champagne. He looked like he regretted it immediately, but that behavior just would not do. Especially that scowl he had been wearing since they cast off. None of the very eligible young witches on board would be willing to start a conversation with him looking like that.

She tutted disapprovingly and glided over to reprimand Draco, smoothing her dress as she moved. “Really, Draco. Try to look pleasant. Astoria Greengrass is here. Perhaps you could give her a tour?”

“I'd rather not, thank you,” Draco said, an ugly sneer on his face.

“You can't avoid everyone forever, Draco,” Narcissa sighed.

“True. We need a bigger boat.”

She narrowed her eyes. That attitude would not fly with her and she intended to let her only son know the extent of her displeasure.

“If you're still sulking about that boy...”

Draco visibly stiffened. “That boy's name is Harry,” he said, voice chilly. “And I'll thank you not to speak of him that way.”

“I will admit he did our family a favor,” Narcissa said immediately, hoping to either cool Draco's temper or inflame it further. “But really, Draco, this dalliance of yours... I can only imagine what your grandfather Abraxas would have said...”

“Mother, I am done talking about this,” Draco said, his voice much stronger and more firm than she had ever heard it during their previous conversations on the subject.

“Well, I'm not!” She exclaimed, forcing as much outrage and horror into her voice as she could. “Ever since you got involved with him, you've lost all sense of propriety! Mrs. Parkinson saw you with him at the Leaky Cauldron. The Leaky Cauldron, Draco!”

Narcissa could still hear the unpleasant shrieking from the Parkinson matriarch over tea as she recounted the story yesterday afternoon. It had been only the latest in a long string of stories about her son and the Boy-Who-Lived. Mrs. Parkinson's shrill complaints had been the last straw, finally driving Narcissa to do something about Draco's gallivanting around with Harry Potter. This yacht party was her brilliant solution, hopefully today's events would silence Mrs. Parkinson and her ilk forever. Or at least quieten them to a suitably tolerable level.

Fitting a sharp glare on her face, she refocused on her now calm son. He glared right back at her, refusing to back down. Narcissa would have smiled if it wouldn't ruin the moment. Draco had finally made his choice.

“When you see sense, I'll be waiting,” she said icily.

Draco just smirked at her. “Likewise.”

Narcissa allowed her nostrils to flare and stormed off, leaving Draco to his thoughts. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. She had seen a small boat not very far away and coming toward them at a quick pace. It could only be one person and Narcissa's presence would ruin everything. She had explanations to make to her guests anyway.

Narcissa smiled as she heard the sound of someone hitting the water. So, Potter had gotten her letter after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very welcome. You may leave them here or over at [Livejournal](http://hd-remix.livejournal.com/80268.html%20).


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